Athletic shoes used in lateral motion sports tend to have taken a back seat to the development of athletic shoes used in the jogging or running sports; the needs of some athletes, be they amateur or professional, seem to have been neglected, particularly with respect to the sports of basketball, physical training, tennis, handball, racquetball and the like. These sports, contrary to running and jogging, involve sudden stops and starts, sudden lateral and backward movements, which movements often require much greater conditioning and body control than merely moving forward.
The athletic shoe art is highly developed and athletic shoes have become a considerable investment; however, many athletic shoes, although having an attractive appearance, fail to afford means to assist and protect the athlete's foot and ankles, particularly where sudden movements other than straight forward, are involved.